The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-01-22
HOW TO MAKE 1T.

INSTRUCTIONS Nnlcu Will hVeieH "oS
Who Wants the Old-Indian and Cana
dian Sled.
Many q time when l was a boy did
climb one or another Of the snow
covered hills hat surrounded my coun
try lome, and try to slide down on the
ordinary steel-shod sled of the period
Now and then there would be a crus'
that would bear, and then it was roya.
sport to range about with the whole
world for a coasting ground. Gener'
ally, however, the crust played us
false, and many a flying somersaul1
was the result.
If we had only known about tobog.
gans! In most respects l think the boys
of my time had quite as much fun as
youngsters of to-day; but we hadn't
toboggans, and l shall never cease
to feel that my boyhood vas not
what it might have been, for the
want of them. They had them
in Canada, even then, and long before,
for they were invented by the Indians of
the snowy North. But no Americans
went to Canada for fun in the winter
until Lord and Lady Dufferin began to
make things lively with festivals and
the like. Then the beauties of the to-
boggan suddenly became evident, and
Young America cheerfully paid a third
of the cost price in duties, that he might
bring a genuine Canadian toboggan
back across the border. There will
never be really friendly relations be-
tween the United States and Canada till
the Kanucks have apologized for hav-
ing for so many years kept the secret
from thousands of American boys who
were longing to slide on field snow. in
stead of being obliged to use ordinary
roads like other folks. Toboggans are
SO little known even to-day on this side
the border that some account of themis
in order, with building directions for
those who are handy with tools.
The Indians of the far North were
obliged to pass so much of their livcsin
wading through deep SHOWS that they
invented snow-shoes and toboggans.
The first enabled them to walk on
top of the snow. and the second to
drag a heavy load behind them when
they walked. Like nearly all the bar
barrie inventions, the toboggan is the
perfection of simplicity and lightness.
Some thing was wanted that would bear
n heavy load without sinking into the
snow. With infinite patience the In
dian hewcd out a broad, thin board.
This would sustain the load, but its
fore end plowed into the snow; so it
was bent upward and the blowing diff
ticulty was overcome. After the to-
boggan had received a few hard knocks
it began to split; SO he put eloats across.
Then he found that he needed side
rails, around which to pass lashings to
keep his p~eltries from falling overheard,
and the affair was complete; and
straightway he named it a toboggan.
and did carry his goods and chattels
thereon. until the pale-face beheld and
traded for it, and transformed it into a
vehicle for his young men and maidens
to disport themselves withal. The In
dian "artiiice had neither wire nor nails |
nor screws, so he used lcnthcrn thfoncs
or deer sinews to lash the parts of his
handiwork together.
OF course, as o rs sawed boards |
came upon the market they took the
place of the handmade product, being
much lighter and better every way than
any thing the Indian could work out
with his knife and Ratchet; but he still
maintains that leather thongs are
preferable to the screws and nail Of
civilization, which are apt to pull out
under the tremendous shocks and
strains of rough usage. Moreover, if
n drops a screw in the snow when
making repairs it is generally lost for
ever, while u bit of leather thong will
remain in sight wherever it chances to
fall. Besides, leather can be carried in
a pouch or pocket without wearing
holes in the garment, and without max.
ing uncomfortable dents in the person
OF the tobogganer when he chances to
sit or lie down on his tool chest.
10 make a toboggan large enough to
carry two, one must have a board of
Eastwood oak or ash. 6 feet lonr 1e
inches wide, and SIG or of Al inch
thick. IN many places it is easier to
procure narrower boards, and on
many accounts they are better than
wide ones They are less likely to split